CETUS TALES

We left Gig Harbor, WA in 2009 and spent 3 winters in the Sea of Cortez then sailed to the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia up to Hawaii, then to San Francisco Bay. We are once again enjoying the Sea of Cortez as we plan our next adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

24 November 2016 | Punta Salinas, Isla San Jose

We are having a very untraditional Thanksgiving this year as I wasn't able to find any turkey before I left Loreto a couple weeks ago, so we will be celebrating the "American" Thanksgiving on board Cetus with our Canadian friends (who celebrate Thanksgiving in October) and eating BBQ ribs!

We wish we could be enjoying the holiday with our family in the Northwest, but it's also nice to be "home" for the holiday and for us "home is where the boat is".

We will enjoy the day and be thankful for all that we have and for the family and friends that we miss while we are away.

Heading South!

20 November 2016 | somewhere inthe Sea of Cortez

We met up with our sailing buddies on Prairie Oyster on Thursday in San Juanico and began our trip south with them yesterday.

The seas were still lumpy from the light norther so it was a rolly ride with little wind, but we only had to put up with it for 4 hours until we tucked into the south anchorage of Coronados. The lack of the predicted wind was a real dissapointment as we'd hoped to sail the distance but had to motor with the sails up the whole way. At least the lumpy seas were following seas.

We're making another hop south today -- this is a longer trip -- about 40 miles to Agua Verde. Doesn't look promising for any sailing again today, but at least the seas are smoother.

Sunrise swims are now a thing of the past as we will be moving most days -- and the water is now in the chilly range -- yesterday's "pool" temp was 78. But it made for a refreshing afternoon dip.

Incomunicado

11 November 2016 | South Anchorage Isla Coronado

We sort of lost a lot of communication channels the last couple weeks. It started when I developed problems with my iPhone (overheating, freezing up, screen fading.....) which has pretty much put it out of use except for brief moments of time. Then we went into Puerto Escondido so I could use their WiFi to complete a project I had going on Shutterfly -- and of course their WiFi wasn't working! Yikes!

Between the hotels WiFi, Carol's Mini Market's WiFi and our friend Noel at the Dive Shop, I managed to complete my project so we left Puerto Escondido and are now enjoying being out at anchor again.

But we still don't have the communications we once did out here with my phone basically dead. But luckily we are pretty self sufficient aboard Cetus and can still contact the outside world thru non cellular or Internet means. We have our HAM radio!

These blog posts are sent out through the HAM radio as well as emails through Winlink or Airmail. It's quite different than regular Internet, but we can communicate and that is a very good thing.

I also send out my SPOT satellite position reports every time we change anchorages so our family can always know where we are. So we are pretty much off the grid -- but not really.

And to all our friends that see these posts and SPOT positions on Facebook or our blog, don't feel slighted if we don't reply to a comment or email that you may send, because even though our posts show up there -- we need Internet to see what you have to say.

We don't expect to have much in the way of Internet until we reach La Paz around December 1st, but we'll look forward to catching up with all of you then!

Winter is coming......

11 November 2016 | South Anchorage Isla Coronado

It's been interesting to note the gradual changes from summer to fall here in the Sea of Cortez.

In just a couple weeks the average temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees and the water temps are creeping down too from a high of about 85 degrees and now its about 80 degrees and dropping -- my sunrise swims will soon be a thing of the past.

Already we don't bother with running fans downstairs -- though we do keep the hatches open to let the cool breezes in. And the wind patterns have already changed from the summer southerlies to north winds. So far the Norther's that have blown haven't been terribly strong, staying below 20 on the most gusty days, but it won't be long till true Norther comes along gusting to 30 and lasting 2 or 3 days.

And that's why we will soon be making our annual migration down to La Paz and the comforts of staying at a dock for those blustery and cold days of winter. There you have no worries of anchors dragging and getting in the dinghy to get to shore in choppy seas. All the creature comforts of power and water and warm shorwers are greatly appreciated at that time of year -- quite the opposite of the summer where the last place you want to be is in a marina with stifling heat and no where to swim.

So even though it seems Mexico is like summer all year round, it's actually changing through distinct seasons -- and just like up north where the changes are more dramatic -- we still look forward to each season for what they have to offer.

Cetus has left the dock!

19 October 2016 | Isla Coronados

The vast view off our stern

After 2 busy weeks of boatwork (installing new solar panels, putting snaps on the new sail cover, sanding and Cetoling the toe rail along with all the usual waxing and polishing and putting things back together) -- we are finally out at anchor! Our "happy place".

While being at the dock with unlimited power and water, WiFi and garbage cans (that may sound silly, but when you're out traveling about a lot of thought and energy goes into trash management!) is great there's nothing quite like living out in the middle of nature.

And here we are! We're enjoying a beautiful view of the Sea of Cortez as we relax in our cockpit after a nice long afternoon snorkel.

We chose the south anchorage of Isla Coronados because we're expecting the 1st Norther of the season tomorrow and for us this is the perfect place to be.

Back Home!!

The drive back to Puerto Escondido was a lot of fun -- we did finally see spectacular Crater Lake and then a visit to one of our favorite coastal towns: Monterey.

After that we picked up our new solar panels near LA and had a great visit with good friends Joe & Sharon from Lucky Lady too.

Then it was time to meet Carly & Ryan in Disneyland where they were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary.

The next day we headed south, crossing into Mexico at Tecate then driving to Hotel Mision Santa Maria near San Quintin on the Pacific. A nice walk on the beach is the perfect way to end a long day of driving!

An overnight stop at Santa Rosalia and then home to Cetus the next morning. We did treat ourselves to a night at nearby Hotel Tripui while we put Cetus back into live aboard mode. A swim in the pool was a nice way to relax at the end of the day.

Today the work continued as we put the sails and wind generator back on and then began unpacking all the miscellaneous food and supplies we'd packed into Old Blue.

Heading South!

24 September 2016 | Tigard Oregon

Old Blue is packed to the hilt!

After a whirlwind 2 1/2 week visit to the Pacific Northwest visiting family and friends, celebrating birthdays, a nostalgic picnic at Twanoh State Park with my siblings and a couple cousins, a few dr apts and a service apt for our car (we've put 13,000 miles on it since we purchased it in May) we are finally on our way back to Cetus in Puerto Escondido!

This will be a little more leisurely than most of our trips south with plans to finally see Crater Lake National Park and then after picking up new solar panels in Onterio, CA we will meet up with Carly and Ryan in Disneyland!

We plan to cross the border on Monday the 3rd and then we will speed up our pace and cover as many miles each day as daylight hours and road conditions will allow.

We Dodged Another Bullet!

12 September 2016 | Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico

Cetus in the little marina awaiting the hurricane!

It's been over a month since my last post, and what a month it's been!

After painting the Kiwi Grip in Cetus' cockpit, we started our drive north. We weren't in a big rush so we enjoyed the drive even spending two nights at our favorite Mexican hotel: Hotel Mision Santa Maria on the Pacific Coast just south of San Quintin.

We spent one night in San Diego after crossing the border where we checked out a trailerable trimaran for my brother, then up to Longbeach to have our life raft looked at for repacking. It hadn't been serviced or repacked in a very long time and even though it inflated just fine, all of the required up grades for that raft would make repacking it more expensive than a new one so that will be our next major purchase.

We had another nice break from daily driving when we stopped in Seaside, OR for a few days to visit friends -- and had a nice visit with Carly & Ryan who were also in Seaside for the Labor Day weekend.

But as we were traveling up from San Diego we were seeing another hurricane developing off the Mexican Coast -- and unlike the earlier ones this year it wasn't predicted to head straight to Hawaii as the others had but it was on a path to go right up the Sea of Cortez!

Everyday we hoped to see it fizzle out or turn away but it just kept heading for Baja and by the time we left Seaside it was pretty clear it would at least hit Cabo San Lucas. We contacted Javier at the Marina in Puerto Escondido where Cetus was secured at the dock and had him add a couple more lines to keep Cetus away from the dock should winds come thru there. And they did!

Hurricane Newton hit Cabo (but luckily not with the same force as Odile had two years before) then blew over La Paz and San Evaristo and on Tuesday (Sept. 6th) it began blowing and raining in Puerto Escondido and Loreto. The worst of it was over by 9:00 that night and we were happy to hear from Javier that there was no damage in the little marina and Cetus was safe. So Cetus weathered another hurricane unscathed!

Our friends boat, Due West, broke loose from the buoy they were on when the pennant failed and ended up in the mangroves, but luckily when they got it off the next day they found minor damage -- so thankful for that because it could have been much worse. They are now hauled out in the boat yard doing the repairs to the keel.

Newton continued north to Santa Rosalia where it made a mess of the roads and town, but the boats in the marina made it thru with minor damage thank goodness.

But the worst damage that Newton brought was when it crossed the Sea and battered San Carlos and Guaymas! Much boat damage there -- where boats usually are safe from storms like this. We heard at least 7 boats sank in Guaymas when one of the docks tore apart, and in San Carlos a row of boats on the hard fell over like dominoes. What a nightmare!

So we dodged another bullet and are hoping no more big storms crop up this season -- which technically runs till November 1st. We will be returning to Cetus in Puerto Escondido by October 7th.

For a great post on Hurricane Newton in Puerto Escondido check out our friends Heidi & Kirk's blog -- they were there and their boat, Due West, is the one I mentioned went into the mangroves.SVDueWest Blog

The projects are done! Time to hit the road

Terry sanded and prepped the cockpit seats for the KiwiGrip, while I set up shop at the nearby hotel and sewed up a new sailcover for Cetus.

He'd already removed the old teak from the cockpit early in the month, so it only took him a couple days to get everything sanded and patch some bad spots. He then put a coat of white paint over it to ensure the KiwiGrip (also white) wouldn't have any dark spots showing through.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, I cut out the panels and began sewing the 18 foot long sailcover. That's why it was important to me to have more space to work on this project than I have on the boat.

To simplify making the sailcover I had purchased a kit from Sailrite which worked out great. They sent the fabric pre-marked with the pattern as well as all the thread, zipper, snaps, bias tape along with some easy to follow instructions.

I was able to finish the sailcover the day Terry finished the cockpit prep, so on the 3rd day we combined our forces and put the KiwiGrip down in the cockpit -- then left the boat to give it a full day to dry.

We'd already moved our clothes and everything we would need on our drive north off the boat so on the forth day we went back to the boat just to check everything out and put the final touches on putting her away for a month and a half.

So Cetus is sitting safe and snug in a berth in the little Puerto Escondido Marina and we are now on our long drive north.

A Milestone for the Cetus Crew

07 August 2016 | Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido: a hurricane hole

There are quite a few people that spend the entire summer here in the Sea of Cortez and it is quite an accomplishment as the temps can be in the 100's, storms can be frequent and sometimes severe and even the water temps can get to the point that its no longer as refreshing as one might hope. We have never spent the entire summer here -- the latest we've made it was when we were in the Santa Rosalia area in 2010 and we didn't leave until August 6th.

So today is August 7th and we have set a new record for us! And if we didn't have a few things we need to do in the States we would be happy to extend that record to spending the entire Summer here, because so far this summer has been the most comfortable we have experienced. Breezes every day reminiscent of trade winds keeping the boat nice and comfortable all through the night. Clear refreshing water to swim and snorkel in and very little bad weather. As I said before we feel very blessed this year.

Things could be taking a bit of a change this week, as the latest tropical storm developing south of us is forecast to head up towards Baja instead of just heading to Hawaii as the others have done this year.

So we are snug on our mooring buoy in the hurricane hole of Puerto Escondido to wait out the weather. So far they aren't expecting big winds in this area, just some rain and thunderstorms, but you just never know because these things don't always follow mans predictions. We're just keeping an eye on the weather (as always) and will be ready for anything Mother Nature sends our way!

The Big Project for Summer 2016

The last couple summer's we've ended up doing big boat projects while in Puerto Escondido -- first removing the teak decks and then designing and building prototypes for our new diesel tanks.

So this summer we decided to continue the tradition and we moved one of the projects we had planned to do this winter in La Paz up to the to do list for Puerto Escondido. It will not only give us more time for the projects we still have on the La Paz list, but it keeps us entertained while we're here -- you can't swim all day ya know.

This project is sort of a repeat because we are removing the teak decking on the cockpit seats and we will replace it with Kiwi Grip -- so it's the same process as the deck removal of 2014 but on a much smaller scale.

The cockpit is not only a quarter the size of the deck but it's also in the shade of the dodger and bimini. Those two things combined with the fact we have experience doing it and we are having incredibly nice breezes for cooler temps this year makes this a very nice project to tackle right now.

Terry removed about 200 screws and pried up all the strips of teak in about 5 hours one morning and that afternoon we both worked on scrapping up the old caulking and adhesives for another hour. Then Terry drilled out the old screw holes in preparation for the resin we would be filling them with and we called it a day. The next morning we cleaned and filled those holes with epoxy so the surface will not only be smooth but water tight.

Phase 1 is now done and we will wait till later in the month to finish the job. We need to sand the whole thing down and that will be much easier to do at the dock. Once sanded it will be ready for painting on the Kiwi Grip -- which is the easiest part of all.

We will go into the little marina here at Puerto Escondido a few days earlier than we'd originally planned (that's where Cetus will stay while we drive north in September) so we can complete the cockpit project before we go.

For now our work here is done, so tomorrow we plan to head back out to our country home on Isla Carmen - Bahia Marquer.

Our Country Home and Our City Home

28 July 2016 | Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico

We've settled in to a very comfortable routine here in the Sea this summer traveling between the semi civilization of Puerto Escondido (our "City" home) and the lovely anchorage of Bahia Marquer on Isla Carmen (Our "Country" home).

Puerto Escondido offers services -- laundry, showers, water, fuel, WiFi, garbage and a small store for fresh food, while the anchorage at Marquer has beautiful clear blue water for swimming and snorkeling, long beaches to hike, a spectacular view and wildlife (whales, dolphin, rays, big horn sheep and jack rabbits and millions of colorful fish).

So we've been enjoying spending days at Marquer then making the short hop back to Puerto Escondido whenever we want to replenish supplies -- or tie up to our secure buoy when inclement weather approaches.

This year we have been lucky. It is hurricane season and so far the 5 named storms that have brewed up (4 reaching hurricane status) have been well south of the Baja and have traveled WNW towards Hawaii and we hope that trend continues. But it's nice to know we have this secure buoy in this protected harbor waiting for us if something ugly heads this way. It's even been nice to scoot in to Puerto Escondido a couple times when night time thunderstorms (Chubascos) are likely to happen. Last night was one of those times, so we left our lovely anchorage on Marquer for the security of our buoy in PE. You never know how nasty these squalls might be so it's better to be safe than sorry. We had some winds, lightning in the distance and now some gray drizzle.

And we had a special treat on our motor back to PE yesterday afternoon as a Fin whale surfaced several times around us (at a comfortable distance this time!).

For the most part this summer in the Sea has been much better than expected. Not only have the hurricanes left us alone, the Chabascos have been few and even though we've had temps in the 90's we've had nice breezes keeping us cool and comfortable aboard Cetus. We've felt very blessed and just hope this pattern continues for another month until we drive north to the PNW for a short visit in September.

Heading Back to the Barn

15 July 2016 | In the Sea of Cortez

We've had a fabulous time out here in the anchorages of Carmen Island the past 5 days, but all good things must come to an end... temporarily.

We are heading back to the "semi civilization" of Puerto Escondido for a few days to replenish our stores and get a few things taken care of with the hopefully good WiFi available there. We could stay out longer but it seemed like a good breaking point to go in and get provisioned up to go out for a longer stretch next time. Plus the anchorage we want to go to next is South of PE and we are currently North, so it logistically convenient too.

Out in the Wilds

11 July 2016 | Marquar anchorage on Isla Carmen

It was a short trip -- only about 6 miles -- from Puerto Escondido to this anchorage on Carmen Island but it was an exciting trip as we passed close to a very large whale! We'd seen what looked like a very small whale ahead on our path surfacing occasionally. I went up to the bow of the boat to look into the water to see if it was still there. What I saw instead was a VERY large whale swimming down deep with it's white belly up right next to our boat! We turned away just hoping there weren't more down there getting ready to surface.

We're guessing it was a mother and calf and we never did see the large one surface, but last evening we could see whale spouts in the distance near where we'd had our close encounter of the cetacean kind.

We also enjoyed a pod of small dolphin bouncing along -- more wildlife than we'd seen in a long time so it was a real treat.

A nice long swim to the beach at the end of the day followed by a gorgeous sunset made for a wonderful 1st day out in The Sea.

Getting Settled

28 June 2016 | Puerto Escondido

Our 2000 mile journey back to Puerto Escondido went well and upon arrival we spent the 1st night at nearby Hotel Tripui so we could rest up before getting the car unpacked and Cetus back to liveaboard shape.

We did get out to Cetus that first day to get the dinghy up and running -- and we were pleasantly surprised to find everything in pretty good shape and surprisingly comfortably cool downstairs. And the nice afternoon breezes have been keeping it comfortable ever since.

It is that time of year down here where you don't really want to do much work outside after about 10 am so we're getting those projects done early -- washing the deck, putting on the sails and dodger and tomorrow will be putting the blades back on the wind generator. Afternoon projects are puttering down below putting things away and neatening up.

But the best part is the afternoon swim! Today we even got the snorkeling gear out and had a great time watching all the fish. Better than TV!

So we are alive and well in Puerto Escondido awaiting to see what changes will come with the new ownership that comes in on July 1st. So far the rumors have it that they won't do any pricing changes till after the end of the year as a courtesy to all the boats here that have prepaid for up to 6 months on their moorage and dry storage. The other big question is will they rehire any of the existing staff. We certainly hope they do -- especially the travel lift operator who we trust so much.

We don't have any WiFi at the moment, so I will be keeping in touch through my Winlink email on the ham radio unless we get into town and access it at a restaurant.

And Rosie also looks happy to be back home (well, as happy as a cat can look) -- she's enjoying all of her favorite perches outside and snoozing spots down below.

On the road again -- heading home

22 June 2016 | Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico

view of the mooring fields of Puerto Escondido

We packed the car with all our purchases (boat parts and stuff from Costco) -- leaving enough room for Rosie in the back seat and we hit the road for the long trip south to Puerto Escondido where Cetus awaits our return on a mooring buoy.

We actually cut our stay short by a few days, forgoing the chance to visit with friends when we received an email from the Fonatur Marina that it had finally sold and the transition to the new owners would be taking over on June 30th.

We felt since we were getting down there near that time anyway, we'd speed up the trip so we could be there a few days before the turnover to see what was going to change.

We expect that the new owners will raise prices because the Fonatur Marina is government run and is very reasonably priced. Most marina's in Mexico not so much.

The other concern is if they get rid of the current staff, the travel lift operator that we trust so much might not be there any longer. We are very happy Cetus isn't hauled out right now so we don't have to worry about that aspect at this time, but lots of friends boats are.

We aren't worried about Cetus, just want to be down there to know what's happening. Plus we miss being "home".

So we're on the road again looking to complete the drive in 5 or 6 days. Not quite the easy 5 hour drive days we enjoyed on our big road trip.

The Circle is Complete!

10 June 2016 | Snoqualmie, WA

Road Trip 2016 has come to an end

Our long road trip is finally over!

Today we enjoyed another scenic drive as we left Twin Lakes heading west. The highlight was a stop at Dry Falls -- somewhere we also often stopped on our family drives to Twin Lakes. An amazing view -- and they were selling huckleberry ice cream cones! How great is that!

We didn't know how far we'd get today -- probably somewhere near Vantage or Ellensburg or Cle Elum. But it happens to be graduation weekend in Ellensburg this weekend and there wasn't a reasonably priced room to be found.

So we went a couple hours longer and reached Carly & Ryan's house -- where we started out nearly 3 weeks ago. We drove nearly 6000 miles on this journey and traveled through 11 states and 4 provinces.

Now we will have a week to spend some time with family and friends and rest up for our next trip: driving back home to Cetus in the Sea of Cortez.

Another Walk Down Memory Lane

09 June 2016 | Rainbow Beach Resort, Inchelium WA

Today was very special to me because we were able to spend the night in a log cabin at Rainbow Beach Resort in Eastern Washington near Inchelium. My dad was from that area and that was where we vacationed as a family as long as I can remember. I have been back a few times as an adult -- but the last time was over 30 years ago and I've been wanting to go back ever since.

We got in about 1:30 in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to hike the old trail and sit on the dock with our feet in the water. I'd planned to get up early the next morning to take a swim at sunrise -- but in the night the rain started up and it was still raining when we headed out.

And the drive from Kalispell to Twin Lakes was a beautiful drive mostly along Highway 2 -- light traffic and good roads winding through ever changing country side.

A Majestic Day

We left the flat plains and slowly rose into the Canadian Rockies crossing Crowsnest Pass and Terry recognized the rolling hills that where the backdrop to his grampa's farm.

Those rolling green hills were overshadowed by the vast wasteland left by the Frank Slide in 1903. I'd always heard of this infamous landslide that brought half a mountain flowing down on to the town of Frank at 4:00 in the morning. The devastation is still apparent today, not only by the gash in the hillside but the acres of rock and boulders -- nearly 90 million tons -- that still fill the valley making it look much like a moonscape.

It was a somber sight -- reminiscent of our visit to the Arizona memorial in Hawaii or our recent visit to the Little Big Horn site of Custer's Last Stand.

A short time later we were happily crossing back into the United States. We love Canada, but couldn't quite get used to the shock of prices -- even though we knew that converted to US it was not quite as bad as it looked.

We headed south towards Kalispell, Montana taking a little detour into Glacier National Park. We could only drive partway up the Road to the Sun as it wasn't open the whole way yet. But what we saw was beautiful. Luckily when we visited Devil's Tower earlier in the road trip they sold us a $10 lifetime park pass (for anyone 62 and older). So we didn't feel bad about only having a short drive in the park since it didn't cost us anything -- and the normal charge is $30!

The big excitement of the day came when we were settled into our motel room, watching a little TV and it was interupted for an emergency weather alert for the possibility of extreme thundershowers in our area! A danger of golf ball sized hailstones! Yikes!

It seems that we are out of the danger zone now -- just got some heavy rain and rolling thunder. Tomorrow's forecast is for clear skies -- so on we'll go!

I've posted some more pictures in the Gallery under the Road Trip 2016 album. Enjoy!

PS I almost forgot our "giant ball of string" moment of the day as we passed "the worlds Largest Truck" just before Fernie, BC. It was huge!

A Day of Travel

07 June 2016 | Lethbridge, Alberta

On the Road to Crowsnest Pass

Not much sight seeing today as we were trying to put a lot of miles under the tires to position ourselves for a short trip tomorrow to our next destination: Crowsnest Pass in Frank, Alberta where Terry's dad grew up on the family farm. Terry was able to visit the farm on a family vacation in the early 60's. Just like Flin Flon we know it will have changed and be hardly recognizable to what it was, but it is on our way and we're looking forward to it.

We did see a sight right up there with the giant ball of string when we passed thru Medicine Hat Alberta -- home of the tallest teepee in the world!

There was also lots of beautiful scenery as we first passed through the flat farm land south of Saskatoon then to the more rugged "Badlands of Canada".

The weather has changed considerably from the damp chilly weather of Flin Flon to the 96 degree weather here in our town for the night: Lethbridge, Alberta.

Tomorrow's plan is to travel to Crowsnest pass and visit the site of the famous Frank Slide, then south back into the States.

TERRY & HEIDI
got into sailing together 30+ years ago when they purchased their very first sailboat, a 7 foot long "Sunflower" that they played with and learned enough about sailing to get them hooked. [...]
It was time to move on to something bigger (that they could both sail at the same time!) so they bought a Windrose 24' trailerable sailboat and continued playing and learning.
The first wonderful trip to the San Juans in that small boat combined with a copy of "Cruising World" made them realize that they could actually sail to far off countries where the water was warm enough to swim!
So a few years later, they purchased a Golden Gate 30' that they built from a bare hull in their backyard (a story unto itself!). They finally realized their dream of cruising to far off ports in 1992 with their young daughter Carly on board.
Upon completing that cruise, toward the end of 1994, they returned to Gig Harbor (having sold Cassiopeia to a nice American couple in American Samoa) and purchased Cetus.
They set out cruising aboard Cetus in 1998, now with a teenaged Carly as crew, returning to Gig Harbor in 2003.
Now, with Carly grown and on her own, they are once again happily living aboard Cetus and out cruising.
Terry's first book -- a humorous adventure novel, "Adventures Aboard Rick's Place", is a fictional story and is based on their experiences getting into sailing, building that first boat and sailing to the South Pacific. His second book "Adventures Aboard S/V Casablanca follows their path when they sailed to Mexico, French Polynesia, Hawaii and back to Gig Harbor. He is currently working on the 3rd book in the trilogy which will follow along their latest adventure.

CETUS
is the constellation of the whale.
When we were purchasing this boat, we knew we wanted to change the name because the owners had had some trouble with customs in Fiji due to another boat by the same name (then Illusion) having done something illigal and the boat name was "flagged" in [...]

the data base.
We also wanted to have a name of a constellation, as our first cruising boat had been "Cassiopeia".
We'd considered Andromeda (Cassiopeia's daughter), but we had seen it many times and we'd hoped to find a name not so common.
While hauling the boat out for it's final inspection before purchase (survey) on Vashon Island, we went into a diner for lunch. There, in the gift shop, were cards and TShirts emblazened with "Cetus" and the Orca logo!
We'd never heard of "Cetus" before, so thought it just perfect and "Illusion" became "Cetus" -- and we bought up all the cards and TShirts they had.
After the fact, we discovered that Cetus plays a role in the story of Cassiopeia and Andromeda -- so it all tied in together very nicely.
The only problem we've found with the name is that often people can't read it and interpet it as "Get Us"!